


The Cave at the Bottom of the Hill

by jooliewrites



Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 17:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3331724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jooliewrites/pseuds/jooliewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the bottom of the hill is a cave and, in Connor’s enthusiastic opinion, it is awesome.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Oliver is considerably less excited. All he sees is the pooling water and the dirt and is that a mouse? But, after they sweep it out and pinky swear to never leave food out, Oliver reluctantly admits that the cave is kinda awesome.</p>
<p>They furnish it with camping lanterns borrowed from Connor’s dad and blankets Oliver’s mom earmarked for goodwill. They use the Swiss army knife Oliver’s grandpa gave him for Christmas to carve their initials into the rock wall above the opening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cave at the Bottom of the Hill

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!  
> -Jules xoxo

At the bottom of the hill is a cave and, in Connor’s enthusiastic opinion, it is awesome.

On the other hand, Oliver is considerably less excited. All he sees is the pooling water and the dirt and is that a mouse? But, after they sweep it out and pinky swear to never leave food out, Oliver reluctantly admits that the cave is kinda awesome.

They furnish it with camping lanterns borrowed from Connor’s dad and blankets Oliver’s mom earmarked for goodwill. They use the Swiss army knife Oliver’s grandpa gave him for Christmas to carve their initials into the rock wall above the opening.

C. W.       O. H.

Away from Connor’s older sister and Oliver’s younger brothers, they hang out all summer and every day after school. They go swimming in the lake just outside and try to find constellations in the night sky. One night they even try to spend all night out in the cave. They only make it till midnight but both swear until their dying days they will tell anyone who’ll listen that they made to dawn.

That small, damp, dark cave becomes a clubhouse and refuge. Their haven and home.

They go to the cave when Oliver’s grandmother dies to throw rocks into the lake and wonder what heaven is like. The night Connor’s parents announce their divorce, he drags Oliver out and they sit together in the dark of their space where Connor’s tears can fall unseen and neither of them says a word. The night before junior high starts, they come together and swear that going to different schools for the first time ever will do nothing to change their friendship.

“We’re still going to hang out all the time after school,” Connor says and looks over to see Oliver nod. They’re sitting side-by-side with their backs against the wall and their shoulders touching. Oliver’s been quiet all afternoon, nervous about the idea of starting a new school without his best friend, so Connor’s doing most of the talking. He doesn’t know why Oliver’s so nervous, glancing over to see their initials carved above the entrance, nothing’s going to change between them. “Every day after school. I get dropped off at 3:15. When’s your bus?”

“3:25,” Oliver mumbles.

“Okay. That’s good. You’re closer anyways. We’ll just meet here right after we get dropped off,” Connor explains and Oliver just nods again. Connor reaches over to put a hand over Oliver’s. “It’s gonna be okay. Nothing’s gonna change.”

But, of course, everything does.

The first few weeks they still meet each other and they both pretend they aren’t making new friends. Then Oliver makes the cross-country team and Connor goes out for the play. So everyday turns into every other.

Band practice and student council cut that down to just the weekends. The weekends are then taken up with group projects and new friends. Before they know it, they’re back in the same building for high school and ignore each other in the halls.

When Oliver hears that Connor’s dating a guy that used to steal Oliver’s lunch money in second grade, he makes the journey down the winding hill to lie on his back and stare up at their initials carved into the rock. When did they stop being friends?

When Connor sees Oliver waiting for the movies with his arm wrapped around some asshole’s shoulders, he sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night to sit in the mouth of the cave and toss pebbles into the lake. When did it all get so complicated?

The afternoon Connor finds out that Oliver got into MIT, he goes down to the cave in a blind rage he doesn’t understand. With hands shaking, he takes out his car keys to scratch their initials off the rock. Who is he kidding with this? They aren’t even friends anymore. They share two classes and pretend they don’t know each other. There’s no way they’re going to stay in touch with a state between them. Holding the keys over the rock, Connor lets them fall to the floor with musical thud. He lightly traces the O with a finger and wonders how he managed to lose everything without putting up a fight.

The night Oliver hears that Connor asked Aiden to Senior Prom, he wanders down to the cave in a daze. He shouldn’t be all that surprised. Anyone with eyes can see the way Connor and Aiden flirt with each other; the two aren’t exactly subtle about it. Why then does he wish Connor had asked him? Did he really think that Connor would want to go with him? Oliver knows he’s a nerd and owns a mirror. People like Connor don’t take people like him to prom. It’s just the way of things. Oliver sits hunched a little in the opening of the cave to watch the water and wonders if this is what heartbreak feels like.

The morning they’re both set to leave for college, they meet in the clearing in front of the cave. Oliver hadn’t thought Connor was going to be there and had been careful not to hope against hope. Connor thought Oliver had already left the day before and laid awake the entire night furious that the guy he never even said ‘Hi’ to in physics hadn’t told him goodbye.

They stand there in the clearing, silent and still. Years unspoken hanging between them. Then they reach for each other. Oliver’s hand shakes cupping Connor’s jaw. He just needs to know what it would be like. Just once. Connor’s lips tremble brushing over Oliver’s cheeks. He just needs to memorize this feeling. This freedom. They make one silhouette as the sun breaks to the east. Foreheads pressed together, their breath mingling. They whisper frantic promises as each touch becomes more desperate than the last.

Years later, Oliver crouches to crawl through the opening. He doesn’t remember it being this narrow when he was a boy. The cave is lit with the soft glow of candles and lined with blankets and pillows. Connor snuggles in next to him and they wrap themselves up in each other. They listen to the crickets chirp and the owls hoot while they are content to look up at the initials over the door and just let themselves be.

 

 

C. W. + O. H.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://ramblesandreblogs.tumblr.com)


End file.
